Alone

Alone, by Admiral Richard E. Byrd, pub. 1938 by Kodansha America, NY,NY, 309pp with afterward by David G. Campbell. 

This is a must read.  If you base your reading on whether the matter is paddling-related or not, this is and it isn’t.  If your interest is day-paddling or whitewater, there may not be much relevance here, but if your interest is paddle-camping or expedition paddling, this is a must.  Also, if you just enjoy a great adventure spotlighting the power of nature and the will of the human spirit, it’s still a must read.  As most people that expedition paddle will attest, the trip is as much about the mind as any other aspect of the trip.  Admiral Byrd’s trip was about meteorological testing, experimentation, and observation; about stretching the understanding of the polar regions; about overcoming adversity, but he also planned to spend six months alone under the polar ice in total darkness “to taste peace and quiet long enough to know how good they really are.”  He was about to overdose on peace and quiet when he realized he needed to explore and overcome the deep reaches of his own mind in order to survive both physically and mentally. 

He was already a famed polar explorer in 1934 when he set off on this trip, so he had some understanding of what he faced.  A 9 by 13-foot insulated hut was taken first to Little America, a base camp on the Ross Ice Shelf, an Antarctic area so inaccessible that it was also called the Barrier.  From there the camp was taken further south to his Advance Base.  A hole was dug large enough to bury the entire hut a few feet below the surface of the ice and snow.  By going up a ladder and opening a hatch that was prone to freezing shut, he could access the surface.  The hut was to be equipped with a coal stove, but at the last minute it was decided that moving that much coal across the polar ice cap before winter set in would be too difficult, so it was fitted with an oil burner instead.  That never produced enough heat to either keep the interior of the hut from icing, or to provide proper combustion, or keep ice from forming in the stove pipe or the fresh-air return vent.  Temperatures dropped to 60-70 degrees below zero.  He began to suffer from monoxide poisoning, frostbite while inside his sleeping bag, couldn’t get fresh air, injured his shoulder, couldn’t keep food down, eventually had trouble keeping water or milk down, but the risk of another team trying to reach him for rescue was too hazardous to attempt in the polar winter, so his standing orders were that no one from Little America was to make a rescue attempt.  

If meeting nature on her terms, being tested to overcome any and all challenges by your own wits, and sharing “one of the most intense and moving dramas of our own or any time” interests you, this will appeal to you.   This is a compelling ride you won’t want to miss.  The book has been republished a number of times, so there is a range of book covers that may not match the one illustrated here.  Also, it can be accessed from a multitude of sources with a multitude of prices.  You should be able to get it through inter-library loan if it isn’t already in your local library, but it is also available on line, from Kindle, and used books for prices of $1.99 to $30 or more, so look around, but don’t miss the chance to enjoy it.